Air-twist wine glass
An English wine glass with a spiral of air winding through the stem.
After George Ravenscroft developed lead glass in the 1670s, English glass became heavy and clear. In the mid-18th century air twists in the stems became fashionable, as did spirals of opaque white glass.
The glasses are hard to date exactly and have been copied. Genuine ones often have a slightly greyish tint, a clear pontil mark and wear under the foot.
Materials: Lead glass
Manufacture: An air bubble is introduced into the hot glass and drawn out and twisted into a spiral as the stem is formed.
The silvery spiral in the stem.
The heavy, clear lead glass that rings when tapped.
A plain or cut foot with a pontil mark underneath.